Jaw shot fallow taken earlier this evening. Edible ?

[charlieboy-shooter]

Hi,
Had a fallow buck appear on the boundary this evening. Could clearly see his jaw was hanging down in the binoculars. Managed to stop and shoot him. Thankfully he dropped to the shot.
He has a fairly fresh wound which was still bloody and left blood on the ground.
Checked the wound which had fresh maggot eggs laid inside but none had hatched. Wound is ever so slightly odious but not putrid or rotten. Still had pellets at the anus but the stomach was hard and compacted. Graolloach looked fine and plenty of fat internally and at 37kg dressed weight I’d say no wasting.
Edible ? Food chain ( declared), dog food or do I please the ferret lady ?
Seems a shame to discard but ultimately thankful I have ended its suffering.
Was not initially shot by me.
Have included some pictures but I have removed the maggot eggs ( thumb nails size incision removed)
Appreciate your views but I’m guessing shot yesterday, probably evening.
Thanks

 

[Mungo]

Nasty.

I shot a roe deer in the late spring that had recently lost a leg to a fence. Wound was festering and maggoty - so roughly similar to your fallow.

I opened up the carcass, and everything seemed normal inside, lymph nodes unremarkable. But it didn’t smell quite right, and I couldn’t shake the feeling that I just really didn’t want to eat it. So I left it on the moor for the scavengers.

 

[billy_boyle_2010]

Poor thing

No idea I'm afraid but well done for getting it!

 

[T.eddie]

Do other areas of meat smell away from the wound?

 

[StephenToast]

Personally I would bin it or use it for fox bait. You don't know what bacteria are in the wound, or how far they have travelled through the carcass etc . The wound looks fresh but what an hour? a day? a week?

Why risk making yourself or your family/friends ill over a few Kg of meat?

 

[Mungo]

Personally I would bin it or use it for fox bait. You don't know what bacteria are in the wound, or how far they have travelled through the carcass etc . The wound looks fresh but what an hour? a day? a week?

Why risk making yourself or your family/friends ill over a few Kg of meat?

That was my thinking. Risk is probably low, especially if the meat is well cooked, but I wasn’t happy about it. And I doubt it does much for the taste!

 

[VSS]

What were the lymph nodes like? The wound looks fresh enough for the carcass to be OK. Not for sale perhaps, but certainly good enough for home consumption.

 

[T.eddie]

What were the lymph nodes like? The wound looks fresh enough for the carcass to be OK. Not for sale perhaps, but certainly good enough for home consumption.

That was my thoughts as well, otherwise anytime something gets injured in the rut for example it would never be eaten

 

[Merlyn]

Having spent some months under the tender care of the Tropical Diseases Hospital some years ago, I take no chances whatsoever. It was caused by food infection in the Amazon rain forest but the risk of getting ill is the same anywhere. I was very hungry at the time but I doubt you are. Don't take the chance when you could go to the local takeaway down the highstreet. Deer stalking is fun and should stay that way. Well done on the culling of the poor beast.

 

[Brambles]

What about the person that made the shot? Poachers or incompetent stalker

 

[Andrewslater]

What about the person that made the shot? Poachers or incompetent stalker

Or just a odd deflection on a bullet after exiting the target beast? Not great reputation for ourselves if we are always looking to pin blame on someone

 

[devon deer stalker]

What about the person that made the shot? Poachers or incompetent stalker

add unethical

 

[scotch_egg]

I wouldn’t be eating it.

 

[VSS]

Don't take the chance when you could go to the local takeaway down the highstreet.

You clearly have more faith in the standard of grub served up by the average highstreet catering outlet than I do. A deer would have to be pretty putrid before I'd eat a takeaway in preference. In fact, I think I'd just go hungry, rather than risk the takeaway.

 

[Merlyn]

You clearly have more faith in the standard of grub served up by the average highstreet catering outlet than I do. A deer would have to be pretty putrid before I'd eat a takeaway in preference. In fact, I think I'd just go hungry, rather than risk the takeaway.

Ah, but our local takeaways are in Norfolk so are spotlessly clean at all times.... (Except market days when they are a bit busy like - Then the counter gets a rub down with an oily rag every hour or so).

 

[pob]

Personally, I think that would be perfectly fine to eat, since the wound looks fairly recent and you found nothing in the gralloch.

However, it's a bit like when you make a cup of tea and you sniff the milk, because you think it might be off, and then use it anyway; you never really relax and enjoy that cup, do you?

You won't really enjoy eating that venison, so give it to the dogs or the ferret lady.

Well done for taking it though. You've saved a lot of suffering.

 

[charlieboy-shooter]

What were the lymph nodes like? The wound looks fresh enough for the carcass to be OK. Not for sale perhaps, but certainly good enough for home consumption.

Morning, Yes, looked fine as did all over aspects of the gralloch apart from a smaller hard compacted stomach, but clearly nothing gone in for several hours +. Although stools still present in the system and at the anus but these were drier than normal so the digestive system had shut down I suppose.
I agree its probably ok for home consumption and I have a bit of a freezer fetish but I have plenty as its the earlier part of the season when I re-stock up, plus just made 20Lb of sausages.

Do other areas of meat smell away from the wound?

The wound did not smell bad, just a slightly different smell to fresh meat but clearly heading towards being unpleasant. The fly strike was fresh as the eggs hadn't hatched which I guess would be fairly quick on a living carcass plus yesterday was warm.
My Daughter just said. if you needed to ask you probably know 'your answer' fair point. I shot another shortly after as I suspected it wouldn't be going into the food chain but wanted one for someone.

I reckon I'll be pleasing the local ferret lady.

What about the person that made the shot? Poachers or incompetent stalker

add unethical

I guess this is where I potentially derail my own thread. And have to date resisted the temptation to comment on here. However.

I walked into the local gun shop at the latter part of last season to be asked 'had I lost a deer '? There's one running around with its jaw shot off. No was my reply mines in the back of the truck, chest shot. Although I'm pretty sure I heard the shot and its location. I subsequently heard about others but this is the 1st I have ever shot.
There are new stalkers in the area both on the land I have permission and the surrounding land which I don't. I spoke to one stalker who told me he either neck or head shoots out to 150yds. I didn't comment and took it as a bit of a brag. I believe they are hitting the fallow hard and if his remark is true, then as my son commented last night, its only a matter of time before it goes wrong isn't it.
Now, I'm not saying it was this chap and I don't know who shot it. Equally, I'm well aware if thats your thing, thats you're call. But my son's remark certainly holds true. Incompetent or not, at some point its going to go wrong. Its whether when it does it bothers you enough to stop or not. As the extra £ for a head / neck shot carcass seems to be the overriding factor for some. Although some would argue its not about the £ its a much cleaner and nicer looking carcass. which is indeed true. But a lost and wasted one when it does go wrong.
Yes, I know its been done to death.


Thanks for the comments.

 

[old 30-06]

Very well done for spotting this deer in trouble and ending its misery.

 

[Ak51535]

yeah I wouldn't chance it just incase the meat has got bacteria, good job on ending its suffering

 

[Dickie]

I would of let them know in the gun shop that there isn't one running round with it's jaw shot off because you've cleared up that mess.